Apparatus for supplying ammunition to turret or barbette guns.



m. 653,07I. Patented July 3, I900. A.- T. DAWSON & .1. HORNE.

APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING AMMUNITION TO TURRET 0R BARBETTE GUNS.-

' (Application filed Mar. 9, 1900.)

(F40 Model.) I 1 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 653,071. Patented July 3, I900.

A. T. DAWSON & J. HORNE. v APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING AMMUNITION TO TUBRET OWBABBETTE GUNS.

(A umfion 111mm. e, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Shaata-Shaei 2.

71 1,1971 as $65 /Zl enZFm A. T. DAWSON & J. HORNE.

Patented July 3, ,IQOO.

APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING AMMUNITION TO TURBET OR BARBETTE GUNS.

(Application filed. Mar. 9, 1900.)

(No Mbdel.) a Sheets-Sheet s.

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ARTHUR 'rnnvon DAWSON, OFLONDON, AND JAMESHORNE, or BARROW- mmunnnss, ENGLAND, Assrenons TO THE vIoKnRs, sons & MAXIM, ,LIMITED, on SHEFFIELU, ENGL'A'NB.

APPARATUS FOR'SUPPLYING AMMUNITION TO TURRET R BARB ET TE GUNS.

' SIEGIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,071, dated July 3, 1900.

' Original application filed October 24, 1899, Serial No. 734,643. Divided and this application filed March 9, 1900. Serial No; 8,050. (No model.)

Tea/ll whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,AR'rHUR TREvoR DAW- SON, residing at 28 Victoria street, Westminster, London, and JAMES HORNE, residing at Barrow-in-Furness,county of Lancaster,England,citizens of England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Ammunition to Turret or Barbette Guns, (for which we have applied for e a patent in Great Britain, dated May 4, 1899,

No, 9,416,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention, originally described in the specification accompanying our application for Letters Patent filed October 24, 1899, Se-

rial No. 734,643, of which this is a division, relates to apparatus for supplying ammunition to a gun or a pair of guns mounted in a turret or barbette, as we shall describe, re-- ferring to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section, of a turret with a pair of'gun's mounted side by side therein, with apparatus according to our invention for supplying the guns with ammunition. Fig. 4 is a plan of the lower part of the ammunition-hoist. For supplying projectiles a number of these are laid on a carrier 20, which has wheels re- 0 volving one. circular rail w. The carrier has internal teeth gearing with a pinion y on an upright shaft, worked'by winch-handles and worin-gearz. Successive projectiles can thus be brought around to an opening through the 3 5 gun-platform to be raised by suitable elevating mechanism and transferred to a. convenient loading-tray, neither of which isshown in the present application.

The charges of explosive which are stored c in the magazine below are brought up to the turret through a hoist-shaft 1, which revolves with the turret. In the lower part of this shaft is mounted a-pair of sprocket-wheels 2, worked by hand-winches 3 or an electric mo- 5 tor 9. Around these wheels and around another pair of sprocket-wheels 4, at the top of the shaft, pass a pair of chains 5 having curved projecting arms 6, each adapted .to carry two half explosive charges. .Some of the charges loaded on these arms are deliv- 5o ered in the turret in a position whence they can be lifted by hand to charge the gun. Besides the main chains 5 and their sprocket wheels a subsidiary pair 7, with sprocketwheels, are mountedat the top of the shaft, '5 5 these chains having curved projecting blades 8, arranged to passthrough the intervals between the blades 6 of 'the main chains. By causing the subsidiary chains 7 tetrayel faster than the main chains 5 the blades 8 lift some of the charges from the blades ,6 and deliver them on the one hand, while the blades 6 of the main chains deliver others of the charges on the other hand. v

Having thus described the nature of this invention and the best means We know for I carrying the same into practical effect, we claim- 1. In combination with a revolving gun tur-- ret or barbette, a hoist-shaft attached to and revolving with said turret or barbette, sprocket-wheels arranged in the upper and lower portions of said hoist-shaft, endless chains traveling about said sprocket-wheels, endless chains arranged in the upper part of the hoist- 7 5 shaft parallel to the first-mentioned chains and traveling about sprocket-wheels, means for causing said last-mentioned chains to, travel faster than the-chains first named, and curved projecting blades carried by each set of chains and adapt-ed to carry 0 u'ges of explosive, and the blades on the ins ,er-moving chains operating to remove, a pmtion of the charges from the blades on the slower-mow ing chains, substantially as described. 85 2. The combination with a revolving gun turret or barbette, a hoist-shaft r tached to and revolving with said turret or barbette, an endless carrier arranged in said hoist-shaft and provided with curved projecting holders each adapted to lift a plurality of charges, said holders operating to discharge the charges travel faster than the elevator-carrier, said auxiliary carrier being provided with curved projecting holders arranged to travel between the holders on the elevator-carrier and operating to remove a )ortion of the charges from the latter and disc; arge them on the side opposite to the elevator-carrier, substantially as described. 7

' In testimony'whereof wehave hereunto set i our hands in presence of the subscribing wlt- I5 nesses.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. JAMES HORNE. Witnesses to the signature of the abovenamed Arthur Trevor Dawson:

HENRY KING, G-Eo. H. BRIDGES. Witnesses to the signature of theabovenamed James Horne:

R. B. V. BURTHEN, W.-I-I. ATKINSON. 

